Isner tops Hewitt in Newport final
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Top seed John Isner defeated wild card Lleyton Hewitt 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 on Sunday to capture his second consecutive title at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.
The 6-foot-9 Isner smacked 16 aces in getting past the Aussie Hewitt on the grass courts at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
The 27-year-old became the first repeat champion since France's Fabrice Santoro in 2008.
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"It feels very good," said Isner. "It's never easy coming to a tournament where in a previous year you won it. There's a lot of pressure on you. You don't do well, your ranking's going to drop.
"I did well, I defended those points and I kept my ranking where it's at. More importantly than that, I gained a lot of confidence from this week just as I did last year. I had a great, great summer last year. I hope to have much of the same this year."
Isner beat diminutive Belgian Olivier Rochus in last year's Newport finale.
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For Hewitt, it was his first final appearance in more than two years. The 31- year-old former world No. 1 and two-time major titlist was gunning for his 29th career title.